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Running a successful business isn’t just about finding a lightning-fast idea or hiring a great team to surround yourself with; It’s also about staying motivated and making sure you don’t get too overwhelmed. However, remember that admitting that you are overwhelmed is not a sign of weakness, but of great self-confidence.
It’s a skill to step back from a project and say, “I’m overloaded and need more help with this project or time to regroup.” As a company founder and owner of ButterflyMX, I’ve learned that way How you proceed after this recognition is key to ensuring that your overwhelm doesn’t turn into burnout.
Related: Overwhelmed? These 10 techniques can help you deal with uncomfortable feelings.
First signs of being overwhelmed
In order to prevent excessive demands from turning into burnout, you first have to be able to recognize them. This is difficult because many early signs of overwhelm are subtle and can be confused with typical workplace stress. Still, keeping an eye on the indicators to see if they become persistent over time is a good way to catch early warning of overwhelm.
Here are a few key indicators that you are overwhelmed at work:
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Endless feelings of anxiety surrounding projects, meetings, and deadlines.
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Constantly longer working hours that significantly affect your work-life balance.
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Do you notice that job satisfaction is continually decreasing despite success?
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A focus on previously routine tasks and deadlines that were considered stressful and stressful.
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You feel like you’re facing challenges you can’t handle, rather than challenging yourself in a healthy way.
When your focus at work shifts from the solutions you find to the problems you face, you’re likely to reach a tipping point overall. Therefore, it is important to face this problem head-on before it becomes uncontrollable.
What fuels the state of overwhelm?
You have realized that you may be overwhelmed, which can very easily lead to job burnout. What’s next? If you figure out what’s driving your overwhelmed feelings, you might find a solution.
So what fuels the state of overwhelm?
There are a handful of reasons why you might feel overwhelmed at work. The pressure to grow and climb the career ladder, the desire to be a core member of your team, or simply the desire to appease your boss and colleagues are common reasons why people become overwhelmed. If you notice that you have felt some or all of these things along with key signs of overwhelm, it may be time for you to set professional boundaries.
Related: 7 Tips to Avoid Burnout When Building a Business
Set professional boundaries
Responding to feelings of being overwhelmed doesn’t mean you have to give up all your responsibilities to avoid burnout. Instead, you can rethink your task management style to set clearer professional boundaries. Be mindful of how you prioritize projects, how you delegate tasks, and how you and your team members manage your time. You may think you’re doing all of these things well, but unless you take a step back and really examine how you’re accomplishing your tasks, you’re unlikely to reduce your frustrations.
But what exactly does setting professional boundaries look like? This varies from job to job, but it usually starts with the same few things.
First, determine when projects need to be completed and communicate them clearly so that you and your team are on the same page about deadlines.
Second, delegate tasks to your direct reports – and have them delegate to their own teams. Not only does delegating tasks immediately lighten your workload, but it also gives your direct reports the opportunity to challenge themselves by completing a task outside of their comfort zone. Just be sure to track their progress and provide helpful feedback on their work.
Third, set professional boundaries to avoid becoming overwhelmed, including prioritizing projects. Do you have two projects due in the same week and don’t know which one to start with? Think about which project affects the largest group of people. If one project is a due report that needs to be completed before a larger project can move forward, and your other project is a draft that won’t be published for several days or even weeks, start with the report . And if you ever need to push back a deadline to prioritize a more urgent project, let those affected know ahead of time to avoid surprises.
Related: 7 Ways to Reduce Stress When You’re Overwhelmed and Need to Prioritize
Recover from the feeling of being overwhelmed
Once you’ve become aware of your feelings of overwhelm, you’ll need to adopt long-term solutions to ensure your future isn’t plagued by the same ongoing threat of burnout. But how can you do that?
Recognizing imbalances at work is important, but even more important are the steps you take to achieve stability. Maintaining a healthy balance between professional challenges, workloads and professional relationships is the key to becoming a successful employee in the long term.
Remember: Knowing that you are feeling overwhelmed and taking steps to improve is not an admission of defeat. It is a sign of self-confidence and commitment to the well-being of your company.